The Bose Wave Radio: worth the money?

[Paige Turner]

$160 for a CCrane radio whose digital display went after a couple years... $400 for a Crosley Songwriter with sound tinnier than an AM transistor radio from the '60s... I'm tired of spending money on "reputable" products only to find their performance fall far short of their hefty price tags, so I'd like to pose this question to the experts. I'm looking for something small enough to fit on a bookshelf, but the Bose with the multi-CD changer is so darn expensive. Anyone know if it's worth it?

 

[Fieldtech1]

Stay away from the blose wave radio. They are overpriced garbage. I can personally vouch for the cambridge soundworks radios, preferably the units before the latest generation with the ipod dock. They have very rich good sound, good sensitivity FM tuner with RDS, for half the price of the bose. Some models even read mp3 cds


In the hifi enthusiast loops there is a saying.....
--No highs, no lows.....it must be BOSE

 

[Paige Turner]

Well, so much for the Bose. I'm glad I asked. Didn't know about Cambridge SoundWorks, but I see it was founded by Henry Kloss and I do have one of his Tivoli radios.

I'm not sure whether I want an iPod docking station. I have way too many CDs I know I'll never get the time to convert to MP3 files. Besides, I do have an MP3 player for just my favorite songs, but it's Sony's version and might not be compatible. The software that came with it produces music on .wav files.

 

[Shockwave]

I was surprised to hear the negative comment about the Bose. Sure it's expensive but I don't see how it's remotely possible to claim this radio has no bass and no highs. That's simply not even close to accurate. The only thing the Bose is missing is that heart pounding bass that you can feel. Something that will never happen in a speaker system this size. However, the low end reproduction is nothing short of amazing in terms of sound. I purchased one for my Mother about 8 years ago and it's been perfectly reliable. Even the CD player still works while many others have failed me in less time. I never heard a Cambridge however the Bose is a superb sounding box.

 

[Paige Turner]

I can certainly do without the heart pounding bass, so that's not an issue. I was mainly concerned about the price which has never come down. I guess I could go to a Bose outlet store and hear it for myself.

 

[oaktree]

Get a good Internet radio with good sound. There are several out there, one, like my ROKU Labs, have FM & AM, too -- but with Internet Radio streaming so many stations, you'll get more value and decent sound, too -- be it AM or FM. (in many cases,) at least on favorite stations.

A Bose Wave can only make AM sound a little better. I'd go for the variety of stations available. Cheaper, too, with Sangean, Grace and others out there for decent prices.

 

[fm-engineer]

The family has a Bose Wave radio that is over ten years old. I think it sounds fine for a table radio. The FM tuner is quite amazing, but I have heard the newer units are not built as well.

 

[RadeoEngineer]

My wife just spent $150 for a Sony bookshelf system for her office with an iPod dock that has a decent receiver section and CD changer. The Bose stuff is very good IMHO but also very overpriced.

 

[RealityCheckr]

My wife had one of the originals (Single CD/RADIO) when I met her and we have taken it all over the place and never had a problem with it.

Other than the cost it is really rather good.

Now, if you want something cheaper (<$100) you should look for an Altec Lansing IM7 and an adapter to a cd changer. These often go for cheap because the Ipod docking port is broken. But since there is an AUX input it matters little.

I have never had the two side by side to compare, but I can tell you the bang for the buck on the Altec is impressive.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

I have a Boston Acoustics table radio. It does have really great bass and clean audio. I generally think Bose is overpriced for what they're worth. I hav a friend that just bought a Sony with the iphone/ipod port on it and that has HD. It has a great tuner in it, most likely like the famed xdr-f1hd (I own one). For FM reception, there is no better. Adjacent channel issues are none...

 

[littlejohn]

I got one of the first Boston Accoustics HD radios.... works grwat, sounds good. If you just want analog FM, watch eBAY for one of the old KLH table FMs. There is no better.

 

[Paige Turner]

Wow... thanks for all the feedback. It sounds like the Bose is a decent radio, just not necessarily worth the extra money. Internet radios sound interesting... but I'll have to see how they work without a computer.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

It sounds like the Bose is a decent radio, just not necessarily worth the extra money.

That pretty well sums it up. I got one from a credit card rewards program that had a 2 for 1 points exchange with the now defunct Sharper Image, so I didn't have to pay cash for it. I doubt I would have ever gotten one otherwise. Had it for years...it's a good product, picks up stations very well on AM & FM and sounds great. But it's a radio & no table radio is worth that kind of cash...at least to me.

 

[CatFM]

A friend bought a Bose Wave when they were fairly new and I expected to be amazed when I went to hear it, especially after hearing Paul Harvey rave about them. My impression was the same that Clara Peller had about her hamburger..."Where's the beef?" It didn't sound any better to me than most other radios that cost half as much.

Something else that bothered me about the snotty attitude of the Bose people in addition to their high price was that the Wave was being produced when AM stereo was widely used and there were still a number of AM stations playing music. When one of the people on a list I was on at the time contacted Bose to ask why their expensive new radio did not offer AM stereo, their reply was that there were hardly any stations using it. Gee, I guess they never heard of WBZ, which is located just down the street from the Bose Corporation and was in stereo at the time.

 

[RadeoEngineer]

I was given a pair of the Bose noise cancelling headphones (never would have paid the scratch) and they sound quite good and really work well for noise cancellation. I won't fly without them.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

Depends on your criteria.

My mom bought a Bose Table radio from bose 10 years ago. She hears a Class A FM at 40 miles inside when I can't hear it well on my car radio outside the house. For this fact alone I can say the tuner section isn't the normal Wal Mart selection crud. Sensitivity this good is remarkable and not easily duplicated.

I have had good luck with "cheap radios" too. Eaton E10, Sangean WR1, and some others.

Paul Harvey had a really big speel about the Bose quality and I can agree with some of it when compared to many radios.

Noise Cancelling headphones. Got a pair from my wife for car trips. The noise generated does drown out a lot of road noise. i wouldn't have done it but appreciated the gift.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Noise Cancelling headphones. Got a pair from my wife for car trips. The noise generated does drown out a lot of road noise. i wouldn't have done it but appreciated the gift.

The only problem with Bose noise-cancelling headphones is that they're WAY overpriced. Sony has noise-cancelling phones that are AT LEAST as good for under $40.00 on-line.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

I stopped wanting Christmas gifts long ago. I want people to help the needy, buy for their kids, and visit me for Christmas. After a few years of this my wife with the Bose commercials and Paul Harvey and all else decides these are the best and i need them. I use them sparingly and only when I know she sees.

I agree as I have seen the Sony and others.

 

[Paige Turner]

Someone mentioned the latest generations of some brands not being as good as previous models. This is true... I've heard the GE Superadio III is not as good as the Superadio II. Makes you wonder sometimes... I've learned that "new and improved" usually means the manufacturer has found another way to cut corners.

To all who mentioned Paul Harvey... yes, he certainly had something to do with my consideration of the Bose (but I have not tried Citracal yet ).

 

[Tom Wells]

Bose has "decent" sound reproduction on FM and CDs but Bose is one of the manufacturers that think AM has no audio above 3 khz, and I will not
buy or use any such radios unless in a rental car, and then I'll be complaining about it.
I have many radios which sound better on AM and are more sensitive.
To me it's total deal-killer. To use it, I'd have to try to modify it, and at that price,, why bother?
I already have a 1935 cheapie 4-tube Philco autodyne that sounds about like the Bose on AM, at least it's art deco.